C H A P T E R F O U R T E E N :
"Or is it just him?"
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Yi-Seo clenched her fist, feeling an overwhelmed sense of dread settle in her stomach. She had tried. She had tried to change his mind. But now, it was too late. Yi-Seo would've thought he would also worry about Gi-hun but it looked he could care less about him.

The metal doors slid open, revealing masked guards carrying trays. The moment Yi-Seo saw the tin cans, her heart clenched. Just as I thought. She said to herself.

"All players, please each take one of the cases in front of you." The robotic voice said.

Yi-Seo took a deep breath before she grabbed her tin.

"Please open the case and check the contents."

Yi-Seo's hands trembled as she took off the lip. She closed her eyes, feeling the guilt of lying to Gi-hun. She opened her eyes and then looked towards his direction; seeing that he tried to maintain a calm look on his face.

"The second game is Dalgona. The shape you have chosen is the shape you must extract. The time limit is ten minutes. Cleanly extract the shape in ten minutes, and you pass. Let the game begin."

The tension in the air thickened instantly. There were some players who exchanged nervous glances and there were others who sighed in relief; Yi-Seo and Sang-woo were apart of that group.

Before Yi-Seo started, she tied her hair up so it wouldn't get in the way.

"You should've picked triangle." Sang-woo whispered to her. Yi-Seo looked in front of her, noticing he sat in front of her.

"Circles aren't that hard." She said confidently. "Just worried about Gi-hun." She whispered.

Yi-Seo picked up her honeycomb, taking the edges off first. She then grabbed the needle, licking the tip of it and started to extract the circle.

Every player was focused on trying to survive; the determination of getting money kept playing in their heads. The once silent room was filled with a gun shot which caused everyone to flinch. The body of the dead person slid down the slide. Her breath began to shake a bit.

More screams and gunshots were fired, the first kill caused many to accidentally break their honeycomb.

—

    Gunshots, begging, pleading, and the announcement of players passing were heard constantly. Yi-Seo sighed in relief that she perfectly extracted the circle. She tapped on the guards shoulder, showing them that she concluded the game.

"Player four hundred thirty-five, pass." The monitor said which made Gi-hun look at her.

She noticed his glance, giving him a soft smile and a thumbs up. Gi-hun forcefully smiled back, wondering how he's going to make it out alive.

As Yi-Seo was walking out, the monitor spoke again.

"Player two hundred-eighteen, pass."

They both were escorted back to the lobby along with the other players who passed.

Once inside, Yi-Seo and Sang-woo instinctively went to the same spot they had been in earlier. Neither spoke at first, both of them processing the aftermath in their own way. Then, Sang-woo let out a dry scoff, breaking the silence.

"What you did earlier was unnecessary. You were practically wishing upon your death," he said, his tone sharp as he sat down, running a hand through his damp hair.

Yi-Seo turned to him, her expression a mix of disbelief and anger. "Excuse me? I'm sorry for trying to help out our friend?" Her voice dripped with sarcasm as she sat down beside him, though she made sure to keep some distance.

Sang-woo let out a frustrated breath, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "There wasn't anything you could do. Once Gi-hun makes a choice, he doesn't go back. He's stubborn. Ignorant."

"He was considering it until you spoke up!" she snapped, her eyes blazing with frustration. "You didn't even try to help him. You knew, and you didn't even tell him!"

Sang-woo's jaw tightened as he stood up abruptly, towering over her. "Let's not be a hypocrite now," he shot back, his voice dropping lower, colder. "You also didn't have the courage to tell him. You had plenty of time to warn him, and yet you hesitated. So don't act like you're some saint."

Yi-Seo's breath hitched. She hated that he was right, but she refused to back down. "I at least tried," she said, standing up as well, her tone defensive. "I didn't just sit back and watch him walk into it blindly."

Sang-woo scoffed, shaking his head. "Tried? That's what you call it? You're too busy playing hero, Yi-Seo. Always running to help someone else, always putting other people first—when you should be focusing on winning." His eyes darkened as he leaned in slightly, his words laced with something bitter. "Or is it just him? You always seem to have a way to help Gi-hun, no matter what."

Yi-Seo blinked, taken aback by the sharpness in his voice, the accusation hidden beneath his words. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Sang-woo let out a dry laugh, shaking his head. "Don't play dumb. Every single time, you rush to his aid. You'd risk everything for him. What about yourself? What about us?" His voice grew more intense, frustration bleeding through.

Yi-Seo clenched her fists, anger boiling in her chest. "You think this is about him? There's no way you're being serious right now." she hissed. "I'm trying to do what's right, something you clearly forgot how to do a long time ago."

"What's right?" Sang-woo scoffed, his tone mocking. "The only right thing to do here is survive. That's the game, Yi-Seo. Stop pretending this is anything more than that."

She stared at him, searching his face for any trace of the man she once loved. The man who, despite everything, had once had a heart. But all she saw now was cold calculation, a man who had already decided that winning was the only thing that mattered.

Her chest tightened, but she refused to let her voice waver. "If surviving means becoming like you, then maybe I don't want to win."

Sang-woo flinched. Just for a second. But it was enough for Yi-Seo to see that her words had hit their mark. He clenched his jaw and turned away.

"This isn't about wanting or not wanting," he muttered, his voice low but sharp. "It's about doing what's necessary."

Yi-Seo swallowed the lump in her throat, forcing herself to hold her ground. "Then I guess we don't see eye to eye."

Sang-woo didn't respond. He just walked away, his hands balled into fists at his sides.

Yi-Seo sat back down, exhaling shakily. She didn't know if she was angrier at him—or at herself for still caring.

Words from the author:
I live for drama 🍿👀